|
Questions
by Dr. Lynne
Curry
Question:
One of my employees bikes to work. Although she arrives just
before 8 a.m., she then spends the next twenty minutes changing
into her "work clothes" and making herself tea brewed
from leaves and only then is she ready for work. This drives me
crazy. When I’ve talked with her about it, she says she assumes
I don’t want her "smelly" all day and since she bikes
to work, she needs to change clothes first. She insists I wouldn’t
be so grouchy if I drank tea instead of coffee. To cut to the
chase, do I have to pay her for her clothes-changing time if she
manages to arrive on time but "smelly"?
Answer:
No and you don’t need to choose between smelly and on time.
Your employee needs to arrive earlier and do her clothes changing
before her workday starts. According to the Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA) employers who require employees to put on special
protective gear to safely do their job may need to pay employees
for their clothes changing time. When employees change clothes on
work time for their own convenience, they’re on their own,
unpaid time.
By the way, you’ve
told me your side of the story – what about hers? For example,
if she’s a great employee, does it matter if she brews tea? And,
if she’s not, don’t let small issues like how she makes tea
derail you -- tackle the real issues.
Question:
Two of my co-workers really want a third one,
"Paula," to leave. They don’t have any real issues,
they just don’t like her. So they keep going to my boss and
complaining about stupid things, like the fact that Paula wears
sandals (they say her feet smell) and that she eats at her desk
(they say she gets tomato sauce all over papers and shouldn’t
get paid for time spent eating).
My problem – I
like Paula and don’t want her to leave. So I don’t want to
tell her what the other two are saying because if she feels
unwanted she may decide to leave. Also, my two coworkers cornered
me this morning complaining about Paula and asked me where my
loyalty lay. I said my loyalty lay with everyone, that I had no
issues with them or with Paula. Now I realize I’m on the outs
too and I don’t like it. I’ve been trying to stay out of their
way. Should I tell my boss what’s going on? Should I just let
things go?
Answer:
Before you tell your boss anything, try your best to fix
things with the gang of two. Employees who involve their bosses as
their first resort risk losing their co-workers’ respect. Also,
no boss can force employees to treat others "in,"
however, employees can themselves create an "in"
relationship with their co-workers through honest communication.
Ask the two
co-workers who cornered you if you can have lunch tomorrow with
them. If they ask why, tell them you want good relations with them
and think that by going to lunch you’ll have a chance to get to
know each other better. If they don’t want to go to lunch with
you, fine. Just continue to treat them in the way you want them to
treat you – positively and with respect. You can best take down
a wall if you don’t put one up yourself. If they take you up on
your lunch invitation, use the time to develop a better
relationship with them so they’ll understand you’re not
"against" them simply because you’re not against
Paula.
Next, if you want
Paula to stay, tell her you like her. Too often, employees take
co-workers they value for granted. A few "you’re a lot of
fun to work with, I’m really glad you’re here " comments
from one co-worker can effectively counterbalance other co-workers’
negativity. Also, since you like Paula, help her out by telling
her the truth about small habits she may want to fix. If your
co-workers restrict their eating to the lunch hour, they have at
least one legitimate grievance – that Paula eats at her desk on
paid time. You might mention this to her before your boss does.
Finally, if your
efforts to bridge the gap with your co-workers doesn’t work and
they continue to gang up on Paula, you need to talk with your
boss. Employees often see more of what’s really going on than do
employers and as a co-worker you have a responsibility when you
see a fellow employee scapegoated.
|
